Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

2014 CES Hot Stuff Awards winners: meet the 10 best launches of the show

It's been a stunner of a CES, but just 10 launches can win a coveted Hot Stuff award. Here they are

2014 CES Hot Stuff Awards winners announced

08 January 2014/13:18GMT

The world's best-selling gadget magazine is back at the International CES 2014 to announce the fourth successive CES Hot Stuff Awards, showcasing the 10 most desirable, most exciting and most innovative products to launch at the show.

Stuff's international team of editors has traversed every nook and cranny of the show floor to get their hands, ears and eyes wrapped around the most awe-inspiring new tech.

But only 10 launches can be picked for a Hot Stuff award and, after much deliberation, here they are.

iBuyPower Steam Machine

CES Hot Stuff Awards winner: iBuyPower Steam Machine

Valve's bringing PC gaming into the living room with its Steam Machine standard – and of the launch lineup, iBuyPower's effort is the closest we've seen to a next-gen console-beater, with prices and specs that compete with the Xbox One and PS4. It won't look out of place under your telly, either.

Intel Edison

CES Hot Stuff Awards winner: Intel Edison

CES Hot Stuff Awards winner: Intel Edison

CES Hot Stuff Awards winner: Intel Edison

Hot on the heels of the success of the Raspberry Pi, Edison is a PC that's the size of an SD card. This dinky device could be set to revolutionise wearable tech and the so-called Internet of Things. Baby vitals-monitoring onesies, smart teacups with screens and a host of even more useful applications limited only by developers’ imaginations - it’ll all be possible with the Edison.

Samsung Galaxy NotePRO 12.2

CES Hot Stuff Awards winner: Samsung Galaxy NotePRO 12.2

Samsung’s latest tablet means business: it's a 12.2in behemoth that's designed as a laptop replacement for power users, with four-pane multitasking, a full-size keyboard and Samsung's lovely new Magazine UI home screen layout. Get that memo on my desk, stat.

Sony PlayStation Now

CES Hot Stuff Awards winner: Sony PlayStation Now

Sony's cloud gaming revolution kicks off with this new Gaikai-based service, which will let you stream PS3 games to your PS4, your Vita – or even your Bravia telly. Yes, that's right, you'll be able to play God of War without a console. Truly, we are living in the future.

Advertisement

Oculus Rift ‘Crystal Cove’

CES Hot Stuff Awards winner: Oculus Rift Crystal Cove

The next generation of the virtual reality headset builds on its already astonishing capabilities with improved motion sensing and an OLED screen with reduced lag. The addition of a camera allows Crystal Cove to measure your head's position in 3D space as well as where you're looking, opening up even more immersive gaming experiences.

MOSS - The Dynamic Robot Construction Kit

Move over, DARPA – this tech toy lets you build your own robots out of magnetic bricks. Colour-coded power blocks, sensor blocks and motor blocks connect together intuitively, and there’s even a Bluetooth module that enables you to control your creations with an iOS or Android app. Tinkering with them evokes the same sense of infinite possibilities as your first Lego set.

Audi Sport Quattro LaserLight

CES Hot Stuff Awards winner: Audi Sport Quattro LaserLight

Everything is better with lasers. Everything. Audi has kitted its latest concept car out with headlights that combine lasers and matrix LEDs to illuminate the road up to 500m ahead of you. The innovations aren’t confined to the lights – its hybrid four litre bi-turbo V8 turbo engine will propel you from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds, and its next-gen Nvidia-powered infotainment system massages your eyeballs with hi-res 3D graphics. Move over, KITT.

Sony Ultra Short-Throw 4K Projector

CES Hot Stuff Awards winner: Sony Ultra Short-Throw 4K Projector

Like everyone else, you want a cinema-sized screen in your lounge but you don’t want your lounge to look like a cinema, and that’s why you need this Sony Short-Throw projector. It looks like a piece of furniture but projects a 147in Ultra High Definition picture onto your wall from just a few centimetres away. It might not have a proper name, but it does have a price - US$30,000-40,000. Start saving.

LG Lifeband Touch and Heart Rate Headphones

Of the mass of wearable technology at CES, the Lifeband Touch is the most complete. It’s an activity tracker that knows how far you’ve walked. It’s a smartwatch that shows notifications from your phone and lets you control your music. And, combined with the Heart Rate Earphones headphones, it can measure your heart rate too, providing much deeper information about your fitness.

Bonus! Innovation of the year: Bendable TVs

Both LG and Samsung had a ‘world first’ at the same time: a TV that allows you to change its curvature with the touch of a button (Samsung’s U9B was 85in, LG’s was 77in). Theoretically this allows you to adapt the TV for bigger or smaller audiences; all we know is that it’s very, very cool.